Low power and Lossy Networks (LLNs), e.g., sensor networks, have a myriad of applications, such as Smart Grid (smart metering), home and building automation, smart cities, etc. Various challenges are presented with LLNs, such as lossy links, low bandwidth, battery operation, low memory and/or processing capability, etc. For instance, LLNs communicate over a physical medium that is strongly affected by environmental conditions that change over time, and often use low-cost and low-power transceiver designs with limited capabilities (e.g., low throughput and limited link margin).
Shared-media communication networks, such as power-line communication (PLC) networks (a type of communication over power-lines), provide an enabling technology for networking communication and can be used for example in advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) networks, and are also useful within home and buildings. The transfer of alternating current (AC) electric power to the end users in such networks most frequently takes the form of three-phase electric power, where three current waveforms are produced that are generally equal in magnitude and 120° out of phase to each other. Typically, a device is connected to one or all three phases and may use any connected phase for purposes of communicating in the network. However, crosstalk effects may also be present in the network, causing a signal to propagate from the originating phase onto one or more other electrical phases. Accordingly, current techniques for communicating in multi-phase PLC networks offer significant room for improvement.